icals, rubber and metal products will be dependent on the success
of such agencies as this center. The traditional method of securing
applicants for apprentice training has been in many occupations a
matter of sons following fathers into a trade. This is no longer a
general practice nor is it sufficient to satisfy either prospective em-
ployer or employee. As a result of expansions in plant and equip-
ment, as a result of the influx of new industry and the retirement
of older workers, a shortage of skilled workers in many trades has
developed. And, despite the fact that unprecedented numbers of
young people are entering the labor force, there exists no longer an
unlimited supply of applicants for certain types of employment.

This situation has developed because youngsters did not have the
benefit of proper guidance nor were they made aware of the neces-
sity of training themselves to take advantage of certain opportunities
in the job market. It was to provide a common meeting ground for
employer and employee that the Apprenticeship Information Center
was established. It is my hope that both labor and industry in the
years ahead will make full use of the facilities and staff services of
this agency so that they may cooperate to the fullest in developing
apprenticeship programs that are advantageous to both. If we can,
in the years ahead, assist in the development of the appropriate size
peg for the appropriate size hole, our ability to combat unemploy-
ment, particularly among disadvantaged young people, will be sub-
stantially improved. And, while it is apparent that, at present, ap-
prentices comprise only a small portion of the total work force, it
is equally apparent that the industrial health and future growth of
this area will depend in large measure on the continued availability
of skilled craftsman developed through apprenticeship training pro-
grams.

In closing, I think it appropriate if we take a moment of our time
today to acknowledge the fine work that the employees of the Mary-
land State Employment Service have performed pending the open-
ing today of the Information Center. I have been informed that by
the end of August, more than 300 requests for information had been
received and 275 young people had visited the Baltimore office to
seek information on requirements and opportunities for apprentice-
ship training. Almost half of these were referred to employers or
joint apprenticeship committees to file applications for consideration
for future job openings. Others were referred to courses offered
under the Manpower Development and Training Act or to on-the-
job training opportunities. As a matter of fact, as late as last Friday,

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